I recently started appreciating bourbon, and was lucky enough to find a few bottles of this year's BTAC and order some private bottlings.

I never noticed (or thought to look) until I read a post about how someone got the last pour of a bottle, with all the charcoal at the bottom, and they thought it was one of the best drams they had ever had.

I looked at my bottles, and sure enough, there was fine black soot at the bottom. I'm pretty sure imbibing the sediment isn't going to be harmful (unless someone corrects me)

My question is:
Should I be shaking the bottles prior to pouring so that all of the unfiltered goodness is evenly distributed? Or is it better, because it would be more concentrated, to only worry about that when I get to near the last few pourings from the bottle?

CaptainQ

12-25-2011, 11:19

I like to shake them up to distribute the goodness.

MissinER101

12-25-2011, 12:10

I like to shake them up to distribute the goodness.

+1

One of the reasons they cold filter the diluted stuff is to get rid of the "goodness" that tends to separate and turn off the uneducated, so a good shake keeps things even.

LostBottle

12-25-2011, 13:01

As the others said, give it a little shake and enjoy. I find the charcoal sediment to be so fine that even moving the bottle tends to stir it up bit anyway though.

I tend to agree when others say the last bit out of an unfiltered bottle is the best. That last dram, with all the black specks, out of a bottle of Stagg might just be the most delicious pour on the planet!

I wish more whiskeys left the charcoal sediment in and did not chill filter, both characteristics that add up to a more flavorful experience. However, the general public tends to lack the knowledge we enthusiasts have and unfortunately, this often leads to judging a whiskey on appearance.

Flyfish

12-25-2011, 14:56

The gunk at the bottom of the bourbon bottle is like the sediment in fine wine or home brew. It is an indicator of quality. That crap doesn't taste good in and of itself but it shows that somebody took an interest in their product. I let an old wine stand up for a day or so after it comes up from the cellar. And I warn those who drink my beer to be careful of how they pour it. If they are the type that gets all bent out of shape by a little sludge, I give them commercial beer in the future. If they say, "No big deal, it's all good!" I give them more of my own. A couple tiny chunks of grit in some bourbon doesn't bother anybody except those who would like it better hidden by some Coke.

SMOWK

12-27-2011, 13:33

That crap doesn't taste good in and of itself but it shows that somebody took an interest in their product.

I beg to differ. I shall let Erich chime in on this one.

BradleyC

12-28-2011, 20:15

I beg to differ. I shall let Erich chime in on this one.

I've heard its pretty good if you save it all up and put it on top of some cereal.

Personally, I'm a fan of the stuff. I always look forward to the last pour of an unfiltered bottle.

SMOWK

12-29-2011, 10:01

I always look forward to the last pour of an unfiltered bottle.

My thoughts exactly.

Stones

01-08-2012, 01:20

Just finished a bottle of '09 GTS with dark cloudy sediment and I had the same thoughts initially but decided to drink it and wasn't let down by any means.